The evolutionary and science-grounded spiritualized perspectives of the Universe Evolutionary Worldview found at Universe Spirit are great news for anyone who is open to a more inclusive, transcendent, embodied and non-authoritarian life and (if you are of a spiritual nature,) spiritual message. The Religion 2.0 (AKA Evolution Spirituality,) found on this website evolves an open source, evolutionary process integrating and connecting objective science and the core spiritual wisdom of humanity’s western and eastern spiritual traditions while at the same time striving to transcend the ineffective, inapplicable or pathological elements of those same spiritual traditions. Although it is a process designed to maximize safe growth, inner empowerment as well as personal healing and transformation --- just what's in it for you with the regular practice of its wisdom and tools?
It took eight months to begin meditation classes at the local juvenile hall — seven months of talking about it and one month of letters, phone calls, and meetings. The director was not sure the kids would go for it. He said that if we expected the kids to sit down, cross their legs, and watch their breath for forty-five minutes, we were mistaken. My co-leader, Jason Murphy, was a former resident of the hall and worked as a drug rehabilitation counselor with a similar population. He said, “We could teach basket weaving and if we are genuine, they will go for it. They watch you, not what you say.” The director warned us: “You need to be a master of your art. If you show signs of weakness or doubt, they will see it and blow you away. They won’t hold back.”
Why is fair exchange so essential to life? Evolutionary biologists and astro-physicists tell us that the need for all living and non living systems to establish an in and out dynamic energy exchange balance with their environments to be sustainable is one of the four oldest and most fundamental physical success laws and repeating deep truth patterns found in our 13.7 billion year old evolving universe. Ignoring this fundamental fair exchange success law of life and cultural system sustainability has been traced to the core causes behind most, if not all, personal and social hostilities, resentments, conflicts and even wars in the world today. So, how can this indispensable and universal fair exchange success law be used by you right now as a concrete tool to improve your personal success in almost every aspect of your current daily life?
At the end of the rainy season in the desert of Northern Cameroon elephants the color of sweet ripe mangoes walk across the rising sun, playing jazz on their golden saxophones, leaving footprints behind their song. Nearby in a small bush village of Guidiguis, the call to prayer rings out, waking the Foulbe and Tapouri and bringing those who are Muslim to chant at the mosque. After morning prayers, the young men herd goats, the older Foulbe lead their cows to water holes and the women and children begin their endless quest for water and enough food to live one more day.
All that matters is that the miraculous become the norm. — Henry Miller
The Life I am trying to grasp is the me that is trying to grasp it. — R.D. Laing
Sometimes life is extraordinary. A magical night on the town, a deep conversation under the stars, a wave of creative inspiration, falling in love. It’s as if windows of clarity, of sharpened perspective, of really being here open up amidst the relatively listless routines of daily life. During these periods of clear, wakeful presence, life is just plain juicier than usual. And whether sweet or sour, packing a lasting buzz or momentary high, these juicy bits of experience are simply those times when I feel particularly full of life, especially present to whatever I’m engaged in, more “on,” more “there,” more deeply who I am.
People fight passionately for their human rights, but these rights also have their corresponding and equally important responsibilities. This quiz and article is the responsibility-side companion to the rights defined in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As you review it, you may find yourself repeatedly surprised by the integral and evolutionary perspectives held within every true planetary and universe citizen's social and spiritual responsibilities.
by Claudia Horwitz
Like many people, my life has been shaped by a quest. In the mythic tale of the hero's journey, we leave the world we know because we sense there is something lacking in our experience. And we hope that whatever we find will be radical and new and that it will have the potential to bring great changes to the world we left. There are wondrous precedents for this journey...
Meditation and Creativity Three A.M. Though I’m lying in bed next to my zonked-out girlfriend with my eyes nearly closed, I’m wide awake. Or maybe I should say wide aware. This year, in addition to sitting meditation, I’ve started meditating in bed before and during sleep. I use simple practices focused on breathing in order to move my awareness to a place where I witness events (internal, external, physical, cerebral, et cetera) without identifying with them.
I was born into a deeply religious family. My father was an itinerant preacher and we traveled across the country offering our service to rural communities. My father would preach, my mother would sing, and my brothers and I would perform puppet shows to entertain the young ones. My early life lessons were to respect my elders and to offer myself to the greater good.
Eco-spirituality is based on a fundamental belief in the sacredness of nature, Earth, and the universe. It is also based on the fact that we as humans are not separate from nature, we are a part of it. The belief that humanity is somehow separate and above nature has created many of today's problems in one way or another.
Traditional eco-spirituality is as old as humanity and has been practiced by indigenous peoples since the begriming. Today's nondenominational eco-spirituality as practiced on this website includes yet transcends traditional eco-spirituality.
From the eco-spiritual perspective, Ultimate Reality (God, Spirit, Buddha, and/or the Divine,) is not just the source of creation it is very much also a part of creation; a part with which we can interact on a daily basis through our senses and from such experiences gain greater insight into the wonder of reality.
On a personal level, this inherent sacredness of nature and our complete immersion within it generally leads to a spiritually motivated engagement in the current environmental and global warming crises of our planet (see the Job One for Humanity plan,) and a dedication to the justice and long view of a sustainable prosperity for all.
This is the first in the series of articles from the book Radical Spirit that we will be posting on a regular basis and is focused exclusively on Generation X spirituality. Albert Wong the author of this article is a past Marshall scholar and has assorted degrees in physics, philosophy, politics, and economics from Princeton, Oxford, and the University of Michigan. He won numerous national awards as a budding young scientist before working for the Esalen Institute for five years. He now works with Jeremy Tarcher in Los Angeles as chief research director at a think tank start-up that studies independent thinking and pioneering individuals.
This article invites the reader to journey with a new face of the western Divine Feminine as a re-visioned Mary who within Herself encompasses and extends beyond a traditional Christian notion of “Mary.” As Virgin Mary, she is a power that has for millennia stimulated the imagination and hearts of peoples the world over, a goddess in her own right who is being claimed and reclaimed as such by many seeking the Divine Feminine in the west. This article introduces the many facets of Mary, reclaims her from a subordinate role within the Catholic Church, honors her as a goddess of antiquity who has taken a Christian name, and helps to broaden understanding of her within a philosophical framework that includes a vision of an unpathologized God/Masculine Divine.
Universe Spirit offers warm and heart-felt best wishes to all of our members and visitors, for an insightful and happy World Spirituality Day, filled with kindness, reflection, connection and joy. May this reflective season also encourage you to recognize and nurture your special and unique gifts of spirit within, giving them the opportunity for expression and release in the new year.
The observance of the 12th annual celebration of World Spirituality Day is December 31st and the perfect time to remember some of your most spiritual experiences in life and how they can and do contribute to your spirituality today.
The universe scale Universe Evolutionary Worldview transcends and includes the information and technology ages, previous worldviews such as the archaic, magic, mythic, enlightenment/modern and postmodern worldviews, the New Age and just about any other age or thing else you can envision that is or has been a major step forward in human evolution.